Moral Education : a Comparative Study of the Confucian, Platonic and Kohlbergian Approaches

University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1989 Moral education : a comparative study of the Confucian, Platonic and Kohlbergian approaches. Young Il Shin University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Shin, Young Il, "Moral education : a comparative study of the Confucian, Platonic and Kohlbergian approaches." (1989). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 4492. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/4492 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MORAL EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CONFUCIAN, PLATONIC AND KOHLBERGIAN APPROACHES A Dissertation Presented by YOUNG IL SHIN Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION FEBRUARY, 1989 Education © Young II Shin 1989 All Rights Reserved MORAL EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CONFUCIAN, PLATONIC AND KOHLBERGIAN APPROACHES A Dissertation Presented by YOUNG IL SHIN Dedicated to my father and mother and to my children Dongsok, Sujeong and Haeryung ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge with deep gratitude several individuals without whom the completion of this humble work, which has taken so many years, would not have been possible: first, the members of my dissertation committee, Professors Robert Wellman, Philip Eddy and Fred Drake, and Graduate Program Director of the School of Education, Professor William Kornegay for their patient guidance; next, my colleagues at Northfield Mount Hermon School, Jerry Davis, Glenn Vandervliet and Robert Treat, for their encouragement and support in various forms; also my devoted wife, Chonghyo, whose perpetual quest for excellence as an individual, artist, wife, mother, and in more recent times, indefatigable gardener of perennials, has provided me with constant inspiration throughout the years; finally, I thank my youngest daughter, Haeryung for her editorial assistance and actual typing of this paper, surviving numerous jens, yis, lis and chihs. In addition, I would like to thank Northfield Mount Hermon School for its financial support, both at the beginning and the end of my doctoral program at the University. ABSTRACT MORAL EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CONFUCIAN, PLATONIC AND KOHLBERGIAN APPROACHES February, 1989 YOUNG IL SHIN, B.D., YONSEI UNIVERSITY B.A., LEWIS AND CLARK COLLEGE S.T.M., ANDOVER-NEWTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by: Dr. Robert R. Wellman This study examines the philosophies and practices of moral education of three groups of thinkers, two classical and one modern. To attain this goal, it first compares the philosophy and practice of moral education of Confucius and Mencius of Chou China with those of Socrates and Plato of Athens based on the Confucian Four Books and the Platonic Dialogues. Then, it examines the theory and practice of moral education of Lawrence Kohlberg of the United States in light of the classical wisdom of the Chinese and the Athenian thinkers. The ultimate purpose of this study is, first, to see the similarities and differences in their approaches to moral education and secondly, to gain some fresh ideas to suggest for the improvement of our own approaches. The first five chapters are devoted to the study of the two classical groups. Chapter I surveys the histories of Chou China and the City-State of Athens to see what existing human conditions prompted our thinkers of two separate worlds to found moral education, and explores their reasons for thinking that moral education was the only way to improve their worlds. Chapter II studies the Confucian and the Socratic/Platonic conceptions and analyses of human nature and their theories on man’s educability in moral excellence. Chapter III examines the aims of moral education given by both groups and their justification for designating moral education a special education in moral excellence. Chapter IV studies certain qualities and qualifications identified by both groups as essential in their teachers and students for moral education. Then, it compares the methods they used and their reasons. Chapter V examines the curriculum selected by each group and the reasons for including only certain courses in it. The chapter also examines many virtues defined and discussed by both groups. Chapter VI explores the theory and practice of moral education of Lawrence Kohlberg against those of the classical thinkers. It also assesses Kohlberg's contributions to modern day moral education. Chapter VII summarizes the study and offers my own conclusion. VII INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Objectives of the Study The purpose of this study is to examine, first, two of the world's most influential and enduring theories and practices of moral education, which have shaped the minds of East Asians and Europeans for over two thousand years; second, the most publicized and controversial modern theory and practice of moral education of Lawrence Kohlberg of the United States; and then, to compare all three in the hope of getting some fresh ideas and methods to enrich and improve our own moral education in a pluralistic society such as the United States. The first five chapters are devoted to the study of the classical thinkers. Chapter I surveys the histories of Chou China and the City-State of Athens to see what existing human conditions, moral and political, made Confucius and Mencius in China and Socrates and Plato in Athens emerge as the founders of moral education for a special group of people. Chapter II examines the Confucian and the Socratic/Platonic conception of man and his nature and compares their views on man's capacity to learn to be moral. Chapter III studies the aims of moral education given by both groups of people. Chapter IV compares natural and acquired human qualities considered as essential by both groups in their teachers and students for moral education. Various methods used by each group and the degrees of effectiveness and danger they saw are also discussed. viii Chapter V examines the courses of study each group used and the reasons for including them in their curriculum. Many important virtues, private and public, which both groups expected to have their students acquire are also discussed. Chapter VI explores the theory and practice of moral education of Lawrence Kohlberg and measures his contribution, as compared to the classical thinkers' of China and Athens, to moral education today. Chapter VII presents this student’s concluding reflections and suggestions for further studies. Significance of the Study Living in a world where, since the last World War, all sorts of barriers, which had kept human races and their cultures isolated from each other for millennia, are fast coming down at ever increasing speed, we are now compelled to coexist with all human races on this planet whether we want to or not. It is now imperative that we discover and define some universal values that must be learned by all human races to live as one civilized human family, sharing their cultural fruits and enjoying the good life the wonders of technology can provide. The author of this study believes that moral education must assume a major portion of that effort. And also, he feels strongly that in the United States, a dynamic moral education for the future and the world must start, for there is no better place in the world to start it. The United States is a microcosm of the world in every sense of the word, and it is here that a universal human dream, such as that of Martin Luther King, Jr., of enjoying equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal freedom can be and has become a reality, however slowly but surely. A slim but fascinating book just published by the MIT Press, An Agenda fpr the 21 §t Century, which is a collection of interviews conducted by Christian Science Monitor columnist Rushworth Kidder with twenty-two thinkers of distinction - philosophers, politicians, economists, social scientists, educators, artists, business people, physicists, and authors - asking each one question: What are the major issues that humanity will face in the 21 st century? According to Kidder, the following six items or areas of concern "to which humanity must devote its full attention and its unstinting resources," in the 21st century are: 1. The threat of nuclear annihilation. 2. The danger of overpopulation. 3. The degradation of the global environment. 4. The gap between the developing and the industrial worlds. 5. The need for a fundamental restructuring of educational systems. 6. The breakdown in public and private morality. Kidder points out that "the list is not in order of priority although the nuclear issue appears to to rank first." (p. 195) The question is: Which of the six agenda items should be most urgently dealt with? The answer is impossible, for all items are interconnected. But the author of this study believes that the last two items are fundamental and urgent, because all improvements and problem¬ solving must be carried out by educated and moral individuals, who draw upon values that are universal and human to guide their specialized works and actions

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